Aquinas High School (Michigan)
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Aquinas High School was a grades 9-12 parochial high school located in the Detroit suburb of Southgate.[1][2]
History
[edit]Built under the joint effort of three local church parishes, St. Aloysius in Romulus, MI, St. Pius X in Southgate and Christ the Good Shepherd in Lincoln Park, classes for the first incoming freshman class began in 1966 at St. Pius X elementary school in Southgate while the high school building was nearing completion. The first senior class graduated in 1970.
Class sizes averaged around 300 students in the 1970s, and 200 students throughout the 1980s, with a full curriculum. However, various departments began phasing out about this time, beginning with the marching band program. The school eventually closed in 2001 due to declining enrollment (only 81 students comprised the four grade levels combined), and reduced funding from the Archdiocese of Detroit. Upon closure, remaining students were sent to other catholic high schools in the area, primarily Mount Carmel High School in Wyandotte, MI, Cabrini High School in Allen Park, MI, and Gabriel Richard Catholic High School in Riverview, MI.
Current
[edit]The building currently houses a few organizations, including The Guidance Center, which offers many free programs based out of the Aquinas Building including a Head Start program, which is a pre-school for low-income families.
Alumni
[edit]- Paul Assenmacher, baseball pitcher for several MLB clubs in the 1980s and 1990s that included World Series appearances[3]
- Jeff Kaiser, baseball pitcher for several MLB clubs in the 1980s and 1990s.
- Kevin Nash — former wrestler, World Championship Wrestling and World Wrestling Entertainment
- Mike Jolly — football defensive back for Bo Schembechler's University of Michigan Wolverines in the 1970s and the NFL Green Bay Packers in the 1980s.
- Ed Humenik, a golfer at the University of Michigan in the 1980s and the PGA Tour in the 1990s.
- Ross Couples, a contributor to the humor blog of Miami Herald syndicated columnist, best selling author, and Pulitzer Prize winner Dave Barry.
- Gregory W. Pollack, is a judge of the Superior Court of San Diego County in California. He was appointed by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
- James R. Downing, MD — president and CEO of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[4]